Poetry Contest 2026

LCPL Poetry Contest for teens and adults

Thanks for participating!

Congratulations to the winners of this year's contest! See their names and read their poems below.

Entries were accepted Wednesday, April 1, through Sunday, May 17. An awards ceremony with guest speaker Leonor Alvim Brazão was held on Tuesday, June 23, at Sterling Library. Cash prizes for first place ($100) and runner-up ($50) were awarded to the teen and adult winners in each of the three categories.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Please follow all directions carefully. Questions can be emailed to: contest@library.loudoun.gov.

Guidelines

Submissions are accepted online Wednesday, April 1, through Sunday, May 17.

Poems must be the original, unpublished work of the author and must be in English.

Only one poem per poet may be submitted.

The use of any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, software or applications to create, enhance or modify submissions is strictly prohibited.

Accepted Forms

Performance Poetry

  • Your work may feature storytelling, spoken word, vivid imagery, wordplay, hip-hop or jazz rhythms and styles, improvisation, lyrical elements and repetition.
  • Sounds, instruments or background music may be used.

Free Verse

  • Submit a poem that follows the natural rhythm of speech and does not rhyme or have a regular meter.

Poems that Rhyme

  • Submit a poem that follows a pattern of sound repetitions.

Formatting

Please format your document accordingly:

  • Spacing: Double
  • Margins: 1-inch
  • Font: Arial, 12 point
  • Max length: 500 words or 5 minutes
  • File type: PDF (recommended) or Microsoft Word-readable document

Document name:

Your category (TEEN or ADULT) followed by the poem category and title.

  • Example: TEEN FREE VERSE The End of the Road.doc
  • DO NOT include your name in the file name.

Performance Poetry entries:

  • Record your performance as a video.
  • State the title of your poem before you begin.
  • Upload your entry as an unlisted YouTube video, then include the link in your submission form.

Judging and Awards

Judging

Middle school, high school and adult entries will be judged separately.

  • Teen Services librarians will read the middle and high school submissions and select the finalists.
  • Adult Services librarians will read the adult entries and select the finalists.

Our guest judge and awards ceremony speaker, Leonor Alvim Brazão, will then select the winner and runner-up in each category for both age groups.

Cash Prizes

Cash prizes for first place ($100) and runner-up ($50) will be awarded to the middle school, high school and adult winners in each of the three categories. Winners will be notified via email or phone by Wednesday, June 10. Keep in mind to use your current contact information that you check regularly.

Award Ceremony

An awards ceremony to honor the participants and winners will be held Tuesday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Sterling Library. Guest speaker Leonor Alvim Brazão, international poet/artist, will present. The event will be recorded and made available on our YouTube channel.

Winning entries will be published on this contest webpage following the ceremony. If winners are unable to attend the ceremony in person, their prizes will be mailed to them.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What should I write about? Is there a theme?

We don't have a theme! This is your chance to get creative.

Do I have to be a Loudoun County resident or LCPL cardholder to participate?

You do not need to be an LCPL cardholder to enter. This contest is open to residents of Loudoun County and our neighboring regions:

  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William, Clarke and Frederick counties, and the cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Winchester
  • West Virginia: Jefferson County
  • Maryland: Montgomery, Washington, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties

Can I submit work that has been previously published?

No, your work must be previously unpublished and not scheduled for publication anywhere before June 26, 2026. This is due to copyright restrictions.

Why do you have a limit of 500 words?

We receive a lot of submissions and we want to make sure everyone gets a fair chance. We don't want external factors such as font size to influence our judgment. We also want to make sure there is enough time for us to read all submissions.

Can I submit a poem with multiple authors?

Yes, you may co-author your poem as long as all authors qualify to enter the competition. Include a final page with each individual author's information. If a story with multiple authors wins, prize money will be split evenly among the authors.